


Chance Companions

by feignedsobriquet, flightinflame



Category: X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Anti-Mutant Sentiments (Marvel), F/F, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Jubilee is a good mum, Mutant Powers, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:07:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27647945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feignedsobriquet/pseuds/feignedsobriquet, https://archiveofourown.org/users/flightinflame/pseuds/flightinflame
Summary: Jubilee knows how to keep her head down and avoid drawing attention, stealing what she and her son need to survive. Finding a passably comfortable place to stay in the ruins of a building seems like a good thing - until the occupant comes back and she finds herself facing an angry young woman with claws.
Relationships: Laura Kinney/Jubilation Lee
Comments: 10
Kudos: 30
Collections: Marvel Reverse Big Bang 2020





	Chance Companions

**Author's Note:**

> Written for this year's Marvel Reverse Bang. Art by the incredible [feignedsobriquet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/feignedsobriquet), and betaed by [HeyBoy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyboy), both of whom were a delight to work with.

"You know what I miss?" Jubilee asked, keeping her voice quiet in an attempt to avoid drawing attention as she slowly wandered down the street. "I miss malls. Parades of shops, candy, trying on clothes..." She pulled her yellow jacket closer against the wind, sheltering the two of them, making sure the collar of it hid the scar encircling her throat. "I miss being able to just... walk in, and buy something, you know?"

Shogo blinked his big brown eyes at her twice, then gurgled in response. She shook her head fondly.

"You have no idea how easy it is for you, Sho. You just get carried around and look... frankly adorable, and I take care of you. All that matters is where your next meal is coming from, huh?"

Shogo wiggled slightly in her grasp, before letting out a soft whine. She pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Yeah, yeah, I know..." She patted her fingers over the dark downy hair that was just growing in, and her heart ached with love for him. "I'll get you something, don't worry."

Shogo gummed enthusiastically on his own hand, and Jubilee grinned at him. 

"Just you and me, kiddo. Just you and me." She'd learned in the past two years how to avoid being noticed. How to be just the right mix of obvious and anonymous - dressing all in black and skulking in shadows was likely to get you hunted down by a sentinel, but so was showing off. The best you could do was try and pass, and keep moving. Having a child kept suspicion from you.

There was still the issue of getting supplies. Shops were all guarded with scanners to check that the person entering was human, 'for the safety of the staff', and if you weren't... well. There were sentinels in near enough every town. They'd get there fast if an alarm was set off. She'd done some tests - normally they'd arrive within two minutes.

The empty shopping bag bounced at her hip. Two minutes if the alarm was tripped, but she was counting on there being a few more minutes if the alarm system was suddenly overridden. She had no evidence for that, but she had hope and the knowledge that she didn't think she'd be able to run in, grab the supplies she needed, and leave in under two minutes.

Shogo wiggled in her arms, and she shook her head fondly. "Behave, sweetie. Momma needs to get you your breakfast." She hated bringing him into danger but she knew that it was worth it. If a sentinel showed and she couldn't get out, she could try and leave him near humans, not... not just abandon him to a deserted house, and the inevitability of what would happen.

She would never let that happen, not to her darling baby boy. She'd found him in the rubble of a house after a sentinel attack three weeks ago. She'd searched, but he was the only survivor. And so she'd kept him, because it seemed better than the alternative. Kinder. The humane thing to do, even if she wasn't human. She doubted he was a mutant - even if he was, he was too young to have manifested. But she liked having someone to talk to. She put him in the sling around her chest, scoping out the shop she'd decided to target.

Using her power was dangerous - as dangerous as revealing the mark around her neck where her inhibitor collar had rested, or allowing a scanner to get a sense of her DNA. But she made her way up to the entrance of the shop, resting her hand against the back of the pillar that scanned everyone, and let a spark of electricity fly.

The light on top of the pillar flicked off, and she slipped inside.

The shop was busy, but that worked in her favour. People were less likely to notice her. She knew Shogo was the priority, so she headed to the baby food, grabbing a few jars, her heart racing. She tried to move naturally, wandering between the aisles, grabbing a few things, placing them into her bag and heading towards the till. She'd found money, and paying made her look less suspicious.

She glanced towards the door, and found that the shop's manager was investigating the pillar. If he rebooted it, the alarm would sound when she left.

Better seen as a shoplifter than a mutant. She grabbed the bag closer and hurried towards the door, not stopping as she passed the manager. She heard voices behind her, but she'd learned not to pay any attention. If she could get to a crowd - the street was busy enough, she could use that. She hurried forwards, disappearing into the crowd, her heart racing.

"I'm getting too old for this," she told Shogo. He just laughed.

She wasn't old. Before the sentinels she'd been a normal teenager. But they'd come, and changed everything, and she'd lost... more than she liked to think about. But she had her son, and the two of them weren't going to lose.

The good thing about regular sentinel attacks was a hell of a lot of buildings that were pretty much uninhabitable, with no water or electricity, and often missing chunks of ceilings or walls. No one would care about her squatting there. She wandered through town until she found somewhere a safe distance from the shop.

It had been a good home, once. The bed was damp-damaged, but there was a sofa that she could sleep on for a few nights. There were even some kids' toys, and she settled Shogo down with some plastic blocks while she checked the rest of the apartment. Empty, but there were some tins of soup, which would be useful. And she could make use of some of the clothes that weren't too damaged, not to mention there was a box of diapers under the bed to replenish the supply in her rucksack.

She made her way back to Shogo, settling down on the sofa with him and opening one of the jars of food. "Here comes the airplane..." Shogo giggled in her arms, and outside she could hear the noise of another sentinel patrol. This would do for them, for now. It wasn't perfect, but it was the best she could get in this world.

She spent the evening reading, flicking through some books that had been left propped up on a shelf, and hadn't been destroyed by the weather. She didn't let her thoughts linger on what had happened to the owner - it was better for her own sanity that she didn't think too much about that. There was a cot Shojo could use upstairs, so she carried it to the end of the sofa, checked that the mattress hadn't gone mouldy, used some of the old clothes she'd found to make up a blanket for him. An old woolly jumper would keep him warm and cosy at night.

The heat was off, but she was able to start a fire using her powers and a few of the less-interesting looking books, and she warmed up soup for herself. Hot food tasted good. She knew there were places that had sprung upto hand out food to the homeless, but she always worried she'd get caught up in a sentinel raid, and she didn't want to leave Shogo without a family.

He yawned and cuddled up against her, reminding her of a kitten she'd had as a child. "I know, Sho, you're tired..." She carried him over to the cot, placing him in and wrapped him up warm. He started to whine.

"I know, I know..." She swung her backpack off her shoulders, digging through to find the doll he liked to cling to. She gazed at it - the blue furry skin, the red uniform, and wondered if she'd ever get to the X-Men. They'd been heroes once, before the sentinel attacks. And she'd heard rumours they were still out there, still fighting. If so, she wanted to help. "Here you are Shogo, sleep well." She tucked the doll in beside him, and settled back down on the sofa, reading for a little while before she curled up on the sofa to rest.

This was a good house. She didn't like to stay in the same place for too long - the chances of getting caught seemed too high. But she wondered if she'd be able to stay here a little longer, maybe work out how to get some transport to another city... it felt like progress. It felt like hope. She grinned to herself, stretching up and then snuggling deeper into the blankets, hearing Shojo snuffling to himself in his sleep.

Sleep came quickly. It had been a long day, moving around, trying to ensure that they didn't get caught, and looking for shops that seemed easy to steal from. The scanning pillars were becoming more regular now - she'd been able to find shops without them before, but now she was finding they were there. And she could trip them, but there was a chance she'd get caught. Concerns raced around her head as she tried to make a plan of what to do next, of how she could get the two of them to safety. Canada was apparently a haven for mutants, but she wanted to fight, and it was too far from where she was. So finding the X-Men it was. She dreamed of meeting them, of being accepted among their ranks, of purging the world of sentinels.

She woke to the pressure of a knife against her throat, just above the scar the inhibitor collar had left. Her eyes snapped open, and she could feel the breath of someone leaning over her. The room was almost entirely dark, the faint light of street lamps not enough to make out the figure of her attacker. Jubilee raised her hands slowly, panting for breath, hoping this was just a robbery. Losing what little she had gathered was always stressful - she hoped that she'd be able to keep Shogo's doll or he'd be devastated - but it was survivable. She had money hidden in the lining of her jacket. All that mattered was that she and Shogo got out of this.

The person above her leaned in, sniffing, and a strand of hair fell onto Jubilee's face, making her flinch. "You're in my house." The voice snarled - higher pitched than Jubilee had expected, and her image of her attacker shifted, relief bubbling up in her chest despite the knife at her throat.

"I can leave." She offered, shrinking back a little. "I didn't realise anyone was staying here. I'll go." She spoke carefully, feeling each movement of her throat bring her into contact with the knife, praying this woman wouldn't summon the sentinels. She heard her sniff the air again, and she shivered, feeling very much like a mouse cornered by a cat. "Just put the knife down, and I'll be gone-"

The knife pressed harder against her throat, and she whimpered softly. To the side, she heard Shogo begin to whine - probably woken by their voices. She felt sick. She just had to get Shogo to safety and then... and then they'd be alright, just the two of them.

The knife at her throat disappeared, and she gasped for air.

"You have a baby?" The woman asked, moving back a little, From what little Jubilee could see in the darkness, she seemed to approach Shogo. Before Jubilee could panic, the woman had lifted him up, passing him over to her.

Jubilee curled up around him protectively, shushing him softly. Shogo quieted, comforted by the warmth of her body, and she tried to stand, only for the woman to push her back down on the sofa. 

"Sit." The woman told her. 

Jubilee obeyed, aware she was alone in the dark, and that this woman was armed. It was safer to try not to cause any trouble. This wasn't the first time someone had found her when she was hiding out, but it was the first time since she'd found Shogo. Before that, she'd always been able to use her electricity for a quick getaway. She wasn't sure if that would work with him.

Shogo seemed to be drifting off in her arms, and that at least was a comfort. She didn't want him aware if the woman changed her mind and picked up the knife again. 

"We don't mean you any harm," Jubilee whispered, as the woman paced the room, picking up her belongings and sniffing them. 

"You wouldn't be able to hurt me even if you tried." The woman answered, before looking up as Jubilee went to stand. "Stay there."

Jubilee watched as the woman began to search through her bag, and something clicked into place. The room was too dark for the certainty with which this woman was moving. She was acting like she could see what was going on around her, as though she knew where everything was. That, plus the way she kept scenting the air, made Jubilee hide a smile. 

She hadn't known another mutant since she'd escaped the internment camp. At least, not to have a conversation with them. She'd seen them rounded up, watched news of the X-Men. But this woman, to see in the dark the way she did... She took a deep breath, hoping she wasn't going to get herself killed, and made a decision.

"I'm a mutant too."

Those words hung in the air. She hadn't said what she was out loud since she'd escaped. She knew that just saying that was a potential death sentence, and that the woman might lash out, and kill her to make sure she didn't reveal her secret. But it was all she had.

The woman moved closer, and there was something about how she moved that was unnatural, different. Jubilee strained her eyes, as the woman crouched down before her, reaching up with one hand and caressing her face. Jubilee held her breath as the woman's fingers brushed across her nose and lips, mapping her and then pulling away.

"What do you do?"

Jubilee took a breath. She'd started down this path, it was too late to pull back. She concentrated for a moment, and then allowed small sparks to dance across her fingers.

The woman reached out, touching one and then jerking her hand back with a hiss of pain.

"I'm sorry," Jubilee said quickly. "They're... spicy?"

"Spicy?" The woman repeated, and she sounded almost amused. "A mutant." She stayed crouched in front of the sofa, sniffing at her and Shogo. "Your baby doesn't smell like you."

"I adopted him." Jubilee answered, because that was close enough to the truth. She hesitated. "You can see in the dark, right? Because I can't..."

The woman stood up, walking to a cabinet, and returning with a candle, which she lit and placed on the floor in front of her. Jubilee twisted Shogo away so that he wouldn't be woken by the sudden brightness. Then she turned to look at the woman sittingin front of her.

Her first, ridiculous, thought was that she was beautiful.

The stranger had a beautiful face, and long dark hair that had been swept back into a ponytail, and stunning blue-green eyes. She could have been a model or a television star, but here she was, even more alone in the world than Jubilee.

Jubilee looked into the woman's eyes, and smiled softly. She tried to ease the tension that lingered in the air, to show that she meant no harm. She cuddled Shogo, and gazed at the woman, wondering what she was to her - a threat or a friend? The woman stayed quiet, staring at Jubilee with an almost predator-like intensity. Jubilee's smile faltered a little on her lips, but she tried to put her at ease. "My name's Jubilee, and my son is called Shogo. What's your name?"

A frown creased the woman's forehead, and she looked away. She was painfully young - the same kind of age as Jubilee, but she looked so uncertain, and Jubilee wondered when she'd last had a conversation this long with anyone. 

"You must have a name."

"Laura." The woman's voice shook a little. "The woman who raised me... she told me my name was Laura."

Jubilee nodded quietly, not asking even though there was a lot that was behind those words, a lifetime of hurt that she wasn't sure she could help with. At the moment Laura wasn't holding a knife, and that was good. That was enough.

"Do you think Laura is a good name?" the woman asked, and the sheer incongruity of the question startled her. 

After a moment she nodded, thinking about the books she'd spotted on the shelf earlier. "There's a baby names dictionary over there. If you go and fetch it, I can find out what it means."

The woman nodded, leaving the candle as she fetched the book, and handed it over.

"So Jubilee means joy or celebration," Jubilee explained, and Laura was looking up at her now in something approaching awe. "And Shogo means prosperity or fortune..." she carried on flicking through. "Laura means laurel, which is a plant. It is used as a symbol of victory or strength. So yes, I think it's a very good name."

Laura nodded, whispering her own name to herself, and there was something about that that tugged at Jubilee's heart. She swallowed, reminding herself she had to be sensible about this - the pretty lonely woman in front of her had already threatened her with a knife, she needed to be careful. Laura looked up at her and smiled.

"I'm sorry we ended up in your house," Jubilee said carefully. "We didn't know. We can leave if you'd like. We won't tell anyone where you are-" she spoke slowly, trying to keep her voice gentle and calming as she put the baby name book to one side. She was almost tempted to ask Laura about her astrological sign, but she got the feeling Laura was the kind of person to not want to listen to that stuff.

"Where will you go?" Laura asked. "If you are a mutant, the sentinels will hunt you down eventually."

"They haven't hunted you yet." Jubilee pointed out. 

"I can take care of myself." Laura smirked, raising a fist and clenching it. That movement made two blades emerge, piercing through the back of her hand, and Jubilee gasped in sudden understanding. Laura hadn't been holding a knife when she'd first arrived. The weapons were a part of her.

"That's a cool trick," Jubilee muttered, a little overawed by the weapons. And yet, for all that Laura had weapons built into her very skeleton - she didn't feel like a threat. She felt like she was alone and in need of help. Jubilee had always tried, when she was younger, to make friends with those kids who had no one. And Laura reminded her of that.

"It works. I've taken down a few sentinels. But there's... there's a lot of people hunting me." She sighed, tapping her fingers against the claws and then sliding them back in. Jubilee expected to see an injury to her hands, a sign of what had happened. But her skin was flawless, unmarked, by the time she lowered her hand.

"That's some healing factor you've got..." Jubilee muttered, thinking of the news clips she had seen of the X-Men. Often the videos had been grainy and shaky, shot at a distance with cheap camera phones. But she was pretty sure one of them had claws and the ability to survive injury.

"It's worked for me so far," Laura said bluntly. "I need to sleep."

"We can leave," Jubilee went to stand, and Laura pushed her back down on the sofa, lifting Shogo from her hands and placing him in the cot, and then gesturing for her to lay on the sofa. Jubilee obeyed, and a moment later Laura slotted in beside her. Her skin felt warm, and Jubilee was sure she was blushing, thinking of the dorky romance novels she'd read as a teenager. "What are you doing?"

"Keeping warm." Laura answered, before blowing out the candle and closing her eyes. Her breathing steadied, and Jubilee realised that she had just fallen asleep. Jubilee wasn't sure if she should whine at that or accept it, but either way she didn't want to risk waking her up. Instead she lay still, sure she wouldn't be able to sleep, not with a stranger so close after everything that had happened.

She woke to the sound of Shogo gurgling, and the sensation of someone prodding her in the shoulder. She opened her eyes to find Laura looking down at her.

"The baby wants you." Laura explained, before moving aside as Jubilee went to soothe Shogo. Holding the boy, Jubilee watched as Laura went to a cupboard, pulling out a tin of soup. She used a claw to hack off the lid and lifted it to her mouth, taking a gulp and then holding it towards Jubilee.

Jubilee blinked, frowning a little. "Uh... don't you want to cook that?"

"It's faster to eat it cold." Laura answered, and Jubilee stared at her.

"Have you got anywhere else you need to go?"

"No." Laura's forehead creased in a frown, and she looked adorable. Jubilee bit down the urge to coo at her, reminding herself that the other mutant was clearly an experienced fighter who had previously held a knife to her throat, and definitely not someone to consider 'cute'.

She was pretty cute though.

"Well, if you're not rushing off, might as well heat it up?" Jubilee encouraged. "It'll taste better warm." She set about grabbing a saucepan, and settling it over the enclosed fire she'd made the previous night. Throughout, Shogo continued to gnaw at his doll's head, making contented noises. Jubilee grabbed some food for him as well, warming it once she'd warmed their breakfast. She used the rest of Laura's soup and another can, pouring it into bowls and handing it to Laura with a spoon.

Laura drank straight from the bowl, but Jubilee decided that still counted as a win.

When Shogo had been fed, she turned her attention to Laura, who was sitting on the floor with her back against the bookcase. She tried to think of what they could talk about - she didn't want to ask if this had been Laura's house before - that seemed too rude, too potentially sensitive. And Laura's uncertainty about her own name bothered her. It seemed unimaginable that she didn't know, but Laura hadn't seemed at all sure of what her name was.

"Laura?" she asked quietly. "What's your plan? You can't hide here forever, surely. They search for mutants too often."

"It's worked so far." Laura repeated, flicking her hair back over her shoulder. In the movement, Jubilee noticed what it was that had been bothering her about Laura's appearance - she didn't have a scar at her throat. She'd never worn an inhibitor collar. That seemed almost unimaginable - mutants were always found. She'd been sure of it.

Two years ago, when everything had changed, the strikes were simultaneous and everywhere. All mutants gathered up, apart from possibly the X-Men, if you believed the rumours. And some of the rumours said the X-Men only escaped capture by dying. She'd been to the camps, and had her freedom won a few months ago with the help of a guy she'd befriended who was fast with cards. He'd got a few out that way. He was trying to get to his girlfriend, but all the time he kept looking for her, he'd saved those he could. 

But Laura had never been in the camps.

Which left one obvious question - where had she been instead?

"Should we go?" Jubilee asked. She didn't want to leave Laura, but was aware of the risks of overstaying her welcome. Laura shook her head. 

"Don't go." Laura paused, tilting her head to one side as she thought in a way that was almost puppyish. "What's your plan?"

"I want to find the X-Men. If there's a fight against the sentinels, I can help. I want to at least try."

"Then that's my plan too." Laura smiled at her shyly. 

"Oh? It'll be good to have you along." Jubilee grinned, offering her hand out for Laura to shake. Laura's frown reappeared, and Jubilee cleared her throat, putting her hand back down. "Laura?"

"Yes?"

"You said there's a lot of people hunting you. Not just the sentinels."

"There are."

"Who?"

Laura hesitated, glancing around, a tension to her form that made Jubilee panic, only too aware of the knives that lurked beneath her skin. But after a moment she seemed to calm down, and took a couple of deep breaths.

"I'm... I'm not a mutant. Not exactly."

"You have knives." Jubilee pointed out, gesturing one handed to Laura's arms while she bounced Shogo on her knees, making him giggle and gurgle to himself. "That's fairly mutant-y. I haven't seen any humans like that."

"I mean... I have the x-gene." Laura swallowed, and the expression on her face was serious enough that Jubilee stopped messing around and let her say her piece. Laura stretched out one leg, staring straight ahead as she spoke.

"I was created in a lab. By people who wanted... a mutant that they could control. They were going to use me to hunt down mutants. Instead of the sentinels. Because I'm fast. They thought... they'd control me. Make me do what they wanted, make me clear away their opponents and get them everything they wished for. I'd just be a tool. They didn't name me, because I wasn't a child. I was a weapon. I was killing by the time I was seven. And I'm good at it. Made for it." Laura's voice was steady, her gaze painfully blank. "They made a tool, not a person. And they want their tool back."

"You are a person." Jubilee answered, sliding out from under Shogo and making her way over, sitting beside Laura, leaning her head on Laura's shoulder, because when she was hurting then touch always helped. Laura looked confused, but she made no effort to shove her away, so she was counting it as a win. "You're Laura."

"They call me X-23."

"And that's not who you are. If you really were just a weapon, you'd have killed us. You wouldn't care. You wouldn't talk about it." Jubilee reassured her. "You are a person. And you were a child. They used you, used your ability, but that doesn't mean that you weren't... it means they're monsters." She shuddered, and Laura's arm snaked around her shoulders, squeezing her close. 

Jubilee leaned against her more, then took a deep breath and carried on. "Laura, you're a person. And I won't... I will help you. I won't let them take you back."

Laura looked up at her, and she smiled slightly, a nervous expression giving away to amusement. "With spicy sparks?"

"With spicy sparks, and punches, and biting if it comes to it. I'm not gonna let you get hurt."

"Then like I said, my plan is to find the X-Men. Join in the fight, on the right side."

Jubilee nodded, reaching out to take Laura's hand and squeeze gently. Laura squeezed back, and Jubilee thought she could feel the metal of those blades just beneath the skin, a sign of what Laura had been. It didn't matter. She was here now, and she was going to protect her. She knew she wouldn't be much use in a fight, not compared to Laura. But she could be there to remind Laura who she was, that she was human, that she mattered. She would tell her that as many times as she needed to hear it.

Laura looked down at their joined hands, a shy smile on her face, an expression approaching wonder. Jubilee knew the young woman had been through so much already in her short life, but now she was here, she was going to make sure that things got better. That Laura got to enjoy life, to feel good and happy. To see the person that she was.

"Do I have to help with the baby?" Laura muttered.

"Shogo and I have been just fine on our own. But you can, if you'd like," Jubilee offered, walking over to her son who was starting to whine a little. "We've got a long way to go if we want to find other mutants. And it's going to be dangerous."

"That's alright," Laura answered, following Jubilee over to the sofa. When Jubilee had settled down with the boy on her lap Laura perched on the arm of the sofa, gazing at Shogo curiously. She reached out to tap one finger against the tip of his nose. "I can handle danger. I'll make sure the two of you stay safe, if you want."

"Thank you." Jubilee gazed at her. "I feel a lot safer knowing you're there to protect us."

"I will do what I can." Laura answered, and there was sorrow there, pain that she wasn't speaking of and which Jubilee didn't ask about. She couldn't help wondering though - had anyone loved Laura before? Someone must have, surely. She thought of how she sang to Shogo, played with him, and wondered if Laura had ever had that. If she had... well, Laura was on her own now, and that told its own tragic story. She reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind Laura's ear. "I'll do what I can too. And together, we'll manage this."

She half-expected Laura to argue, or duck away from the touch, but she leaned into it for a moment before standing. "Where are you going?"

"I'll pack a bag for what we need to take with us. And I'll get some more food. Do you need anything?"

"I've got food and diapers for Shogo," Jubilee reassured her. "I'll be fine."

"Any food you like?"

"Candy's always good," Jubilee grinned. "Got a sweet tooth." She almost finished up by saying some ridiculous flirty line about that being why she liked Laura, but she managed to hold herself back. She felt she deserved some kind of reward for not being entirely ridiculous.

"I'll get some candy." Laura nodded. "I'll be back in about an hour, can you get packed up?"

"Course. Won't take me long. Need me to come with you?"

Laura shook her head. "You stay here with Shogo. It's safer."

Jubilee bit back her urge to argue - she did need to look after her little boy. He was the priority for her. And then... her and Laura would be travelling together. "I don't even know what city the X-Men are in. I've heard reports of them being in San Francisco, but I don't know if that's true."

"We will find them." Laura reassured her. "Pack up. Take anything you might want, we won't be coming back."

Jubilee accepted that. She'd gotten used to moving between shelters, staying wherever looked most safe. The comfort of her childhood home felt like it was a lifetime ago. Still, she didn't know how they were going to manage to cover the kind of distance that would be necessary. "Okay. Laura, be careful, alright?"

Laura looked back and nodded, then left.

Jubilee considered for a moment the fact she could run away. She didn't actually particularly want to run away, but if she had any uncertainty - this would be the time to do it. She didn't run, though - she wasn't afraid, not of Laura. And it was good to have an adult to talk to.

She searched through the house until she found what she needed, gathering together some supplies and repacking her bag, then making sure Shogo had his doll - she didn't want to think of how he'd feel if that got lost. Plus, if it did all work out and they met the real X-Men, she wanted to show off her son's good taste in teddies.

Laura returned in just under an hour, pausing in the doorway. "You packed?"

"Yep. We're all ready to go."

"Great." Laura wandered to the cupboard, pulling out a bag and swinging it over her shoulder, then gesturing for Jubilee to follow her. "I thought about stealing a bike, but didn't think the helmets would fit Shogo."

"No, I can't imagine that'd be a good idea," Jubilee agreed. Even if holding on to Laura's waist on a bike sounded fun.

"Plus I wasn't sure how much stuff we'd bring with us. Follow me." She led her through the streets, pausing by a dirty looking old car. "It was easy enough to steal."

"How do you even know how to steal a car?" Jubilee asked, picturing Laura trying to hotwire the vehicle.

"Just threatened the person with the keys." Laura answered. "Got a full tank of gas as well."

Jubilee shrugged. Given her very existence outside of the sentinels' control was technically illegal, now probably wasn't the time to aim for the moral high ground in terms of not stealing. Especially now that they had a car.

"I'd have been back earlier, but I thought you'd want a child seat." Laura gestured into the back seat of the car, and Jubilee beamed at her, dumping the bags on the back seat and then strapping Shogo in. He burbled at her in concern.

"It's okay, sweetie. Mommy's got you, don't worry... Laura, is it okay if I sit in the back with him?"

"If you want." Laura paused thoughtfully. "I mean, I've not driven before, but I've seen it and I've been told what to do."

"You...got the car back here?"

"I did." Laura answered. In the distance, Jubilee could hear the noises of sentinels on patrols. She considered, and decided the car with a woman who hadn't been taught to drive was probably her better option.

"I'll drive," Jubilee said carefully. "Can you sit with Shogo?"

With an easy movement, Laura tossed the keys into the air. Jubilee got into the driver's seat, Laura settling into the seat behind.

Being in a car was something she'd missed - again, a memory that she'd thought was consigned to her life before the camps. A lot of modern cars were fitted with anti-mutant technology. But Laura had found one old enough that they could use it, that they could escape in.

Luckily, she'd learned to drive. Which meant that she was more qualified than Laura. She glanced in the rear-view mirror, and saw that Laura was gazing curiously at Shogo, who was cuddling his doll without a care in the world.

"You'll keep him safe, right?" Jubilee asked. "If anything happened to me?"

"Of course." Laura gazed at him curiously. "He doesn't look much like you."

"I found him," Jubilee answered, and Laura nodded slowly, clearly accepting that information. 

"He's lucky to have you as his mum." 

"I try," Jubilee focused on the road ahead, putting on the music to help her concentrate and singing along happily. Shogo gurgled along with the music, and Laura gazed out of the window.

"You know these songs?"

"I used to like music. Before everything ... before everything fell apart. I just spent time in the malls with friends, you know? I wasn't... I wasn't anything special. Didn't want to be. I just wanted to be a kid...." She shook her head, gripping the steering wheel tighter. "Didn't end up that way."

"I never went to a mall," Laura said after a few moments. "I mean. I've been in one, once. When the scientists had told me to hunt down and murder a mutant who had been causing them problems. But I didn't... listen to music."

Jubilee was sure she should have felt afraid with the knowledge that a killer was sitting beside her son. Instead, she just felt safe. She took a slow deep breath, and then another, and managed to smile. "You can sing along if you'd like, to the choruses at least."

Laura laughed softly, and Jubilee thought that was a good sound. She wasn't alone, and nor was her son. They had the kind of support she'd always hoped for and never dreamed of - someone she trusted, someone who could defend them and who she wanted to spend time with. They had food, a tank full of gas, and the open road.

"Shogo smells bad." Laura complained, so Jubilee stopped to change him. Laura watched the entire procedure with something approaching horror, holding her nose and backing away, and Jubilee couldn't blame her - she was glad her own senses weren't enhanced.

"I've decided you're not allowed to die," Laura told her. "Because I'll look after him but I don't want to deal with that."

Jubilee sighed, and set about teaching her how to feed the little boy.

Laura stuck a finger in the baby-food, then licked it clean and grinned. "That tastes really good."

"It's his and it's expensive," Jubilee told her. "I mean, I stole this. But still. It's expensive."

Laura pulled a face, but left the baby food alone. They got back into the car, and Jubilee kept driving. She became aware of Laura leaning over her shoulder.

"Yes?"

"Just watching," Laura answered. "I want to be able to drive as well."

Jubilee tried to explain what she was doing, hoping that it wouldn't actually become necessary for Laura to take over the driving, but knowing that if it was she wanted Laura to at least be able to move the car without too much difficulty. Laura was a fast learner, although Jubilee was in no hurry to actually permit her behind the wheel.

That night, they slept in the car - Laura in the front seat, and Jubilee in the back with Shogo. Jubilee knew they'd already gone some distance from the city, and for the first time her dream of getting to the X-Men and helping them felt like more than a dream. It felt like a possibility. They were actually going to be able to do this, get somewhere. She wouldn't be alone.

The next day, she stretched and got back into the driver's seat, hoping that the X-Men would have a decent shower. She did what she could to clean herself and Shogo with baby wipes, but it simply wasn't the same.

Laura settled in the back of the car, and they drove on, stopping in small towns for gas. It was just after lunch that Laura seemed to twitch, her head on one side as she sniffed the air, before unfastening Shogo's baby seat from the car and carefully placing it down in the footwell, the boy still secured inside.

"What is it?"

"I can hear something." Laura answered, sniffing the air, and then seeming to come to a decision. "You need to keep driving."

"What?"

"Keep driving." Laura repeated, and then Jubilee became aware of the faint hum of a sentinel in flight. She wanted to be sick. They'd got so far, and they had plans, and now she could see the distant figure slowly coming closer.

Laura wound down the window beside her, and then flung herself up onto the roof of the car, in one smooth movement. Jubilee yelped as a blade pierced the roof above the passenger seat, and the Sentinel was closing in.

She wanted to stop. To fight. But her son was in the back, and Laura had given her a single instruction. Keep driving.

She could do that.

She drove, fast, along the road. It was a wide open space, no company other than the sentinel looming down, and Laura still waiting on the roof.

Then the blade disappeared as the Sentinel touched down, and she watched in the mirror as Laura launched herself at its face, slashing and hacking with her claws, her mouth open wide in a snarl.

The sentinel grabbed Laura and threw her aside, chasing after the car.

Jubilee knew sentinels were faster than a car like this.

She took a deep breath. "Momma loves you, Shogo." She slammed on the breaks, and jumped from the car the moment it was stopped, running towards the sentinel, calling forth her power. She felt the sparks dance down her arms, building in her fingers as she rushed forwards, sickness bubbling inside of her. She knew it might not work. But she had to try. For Laura's sake and her own.

It fired something at her, the tarmac of the road exploding in a hail of dust, and the air was acrid, but she rushed past it, knowing her only chance was electrocuting it. It turned, powering up to fire again.

Laura jumped on it from behind, and it fought her grasp, momentarily taking its attention from Jubilee.

Jubilee let her sparks fly, dancing over the circuits and metal, and as she did so Laura backflipped away, landing on her feet.

The sentinel crumpled, and she found herself shaking, sick with terror. Its eyes opened, turning to her, and she felt lost, helpless, powerless.

Laura approached, her claws flicking out, and she cut off the sentinel's head. Then she smirked, and brought her hand down to its chest-plate, carving an 'X' into the metal there.

Jubilee felt dizzy, sick. She sat on the side of the road, gasping for breath. 

Laura reached her, leaning down to offer her hand. "Come on. On your feet."

Jubilee let Laura pull her up, following her back to the car, still shaking. "You saved me."

"Of course I did." Laura answered. "But we have to keep moving. It will have sent out a signal when it was deactivated, and I don't know how many of those we can take by ourselves."

Jubilee didn't need to be told twice. She got back in the car, and once Shogo had been properly belted in she sped off once more. She felt sick. They were being actively hunted now. At the same time, a horrific kind of elation bubbled within her. Because the two of them had taken down a sentinel together. They'd done something she'd always thought was impossible for less than a group of mutants.

She paused, thinking through what had happened.

"Laura?" She asked, gaze fixed on the road ahead. "It threw you but it didn't go after you." A sentinel should have known that Laura was a mutant the moment it saw her, and focused on annihilating her. But that wasn't what had happened. It had treated Laura like an annoyance, not a target.

"They're programmed not to attack me." Laura answered. "The... the lab wanted me to work alongside the sentinels, not against them. They think I'm one of them."

"Oh." Jubilee swallowed, her mind already full of the possibilities this offered. She had to get Laura to the X-Men, not just for their safety, but for the safety of mutantkind. Because if Laura could pass unnoticed by a sentinel... it would change everything.

"I'm not. You're not... angry?" Laura asked, sniffing. "You don't smell angry."

"No, I'm not angry. Not with you." Jubilee smiled. "I'm excited. You can fight them."

"I will." Laura agreed.

"A lot of people fight them. But you..." Jubilee thought of the people she'd lost, of those who had fallen in the fight against the sentinels, the rumours of the X-Men running and holding out but snatching few victories. "But Laura, you can win."

"I suppose so." Laura agreed. "Like I said, I will keep you safe."

"Thank you," Jubilee smiled at her. "I know you will."

"Jubilee? Can you put the music back on?" Laura asked, and Jubilee grinned and did so.

Another day passed. After that first sentinel attack, they seemed to be left mostly alone, and Jubilee found herself relaxing more in the other woman's company. Laura was sweet, and funny, and cleverer than she thought she was. She also had huge gaps in her understanding, confused by things that Jubilee took for granted. But her smile and excitement as she learned more than made up for it.

With music playing, and Laura happily talking to her from the back seat, Jubilee felt like a person, more so than she had since her world had been torn apart.

"Will we be there soon?" Laura asked, for what had to be the fifth time that day. Hiding a smile, Jubilee nodded. 

"We'll be there soon." She had expected Laura to answer with a smile, but if anything she looked unhappy. Jubilee didn't know what to make of that. "Is something wrong?" 

"I won't let them hurt you." Laura crossed her arms determinedly.

"I'm sure they won't hurt me."

"You're with me. What if they find out about me and decide I'm no better than a sentinel?"

"Laura-"

"No, I mean it. I was created by the people they're fighting against. And you're... I don't want to mess this up for you."

Jubilee took a deep breath. "You won't mess it up, Laura. You got us here. And if they look at you and see a sentinel... then I'll leave with you." It hurt a little, to cut herself off from her dream. But the heroes she dreamed of wouldn't blame Laura for something so out of her control. If they did - they clearly weren't who Jubilee thought.

Laura nodded, fidgeting, her claws emerging from the back of one hand. She nibbled on them anxiously, and Jubilee glanced at her in the mirror. "I'm sticking with you."

Laura smiled - fragile and afraid, but real. Jubilee wondered if she'd ever had someone stand by her before. She was determined to do that now - to make sure that sheand Shogo were there, beside Laura for as long as she was needed. "But they're your heroes."

"You're my hero, Laura. You took down that sentinel. You got us here. I'm not leaving you."

Laura fell quiet, as they eventually turned off the Highway. Jubilee had heard in the news that the X-Men were based in what had once been a school for mutant children, that there were still a few kids hiding out with them. She had to hope that information was still good. It felt like it'd be an easy target.

As she got closer to the school, she began to understand her mistake. It was nothing like a school she had seen. It was fortified, and there were people flying in the air above it, patrolling. She felt suddenly very small in her car, afraid that they wouldn't even get the chance to say their piece.

As they drove up the entrance to the building, the car stopped completely, and a voice spoke in her head. _Please exit the car and proceed on foot, Miss Lee._

She did as she was told, undoing her seatbelt then turning to Laura. "Did you hear that?"

"They want us to walk up." Laura agreed, climbing from the car holding Shogo, who in turn was holding his favourite doll. She handed him over, grabbing the baby bag and a few other key items from the trunk, and then striding forwards. "Stay behind me."

Jubilee glanced at the car, checking nothing vital had been left. Deciding it hadn't been, she hurried after Laura. "I'll stay back if there is danger." Jubilee answered, falling into step beside her. There was a smile on her face, and she felt confident that this would be alright. Laura was beside her, and Shogo was in her arms.

They had less than a hundred feet to go before they reached the mansion when the air in front of them split with a sudden crack, and she found herself face to face with the living embodiment of her son's doll. The man spotted the doll and smiled, and Jubilee opened her mouth to explain herself.

Before she could, Shogo was reaching forwards, babbling excitedly as he tried to grab onto the blue man.

"Your son has remarkable taste," the man smiled, taking a step closer, a lot of the initial hostility gone from him. "Why are you here? I'm afraid I don't do autographs."

Jubilee carefully held one hand up, allowing the sparks to dance across her fingers, glad that Shogo was too distracted by the man to try and grab them. "We want to help."

"I can fight them." Laura said, squeezing her hand to cause the claws to emerge. The man looked between the two of them and then nodded. "I see. You are... you can come with us. Although I am afraid a telepath will need to look you both over." 

Laura hesitated, and Jubilee moved to bump against her affectionately. "I'll stick with you."

Laura wrapped an arm around her waist, resting her head on Jubilee's shoulder, and then nodded. "We will go with you."

The man strode forwards, resting his hand on their arms - and there was a sudden split in the world. A moment later, she found herself standing in the middle of a room, Laura beside her. The blue man was gone. Laura tilted her head, sniffing the air.

"Is everything alright?"

"I don't... I don't know." Laura admitted. "You stay back. Keep Shogo safe."

Jubilee nodded, stepping backwards as the door opened, and a broad man stepped in. He frowned to see them.

Laura moved into a fighting stance, claws erupting from the back of her hands.

"Ah fuck." The man stared at her, sniffing at her and slowly walking forwards, and Jubilee got the feeling that there was something going on she didn't understand. She stepped back as Laura growled, the noise low in her throat.

"What the hell are you?" The man asked, and Jubilee cleared her throat, reminding them that they weren't alone.

"Laura got me here. She wants to fight the sentinels. We both do." Even as she said it, she got the sense there was something that she was missing, something only people with heightened senses could understand.

And then the man raised his hand, and claws slid from them.

Laura moved closer to Jubilee, seeking reassurance that Jubilee didn't really know how to give. She didn't understand. But she could stand by Laura's side. 

The man looked between them and snorted, then nodded. "Okay. This is weird. But we want information. Why are you here? Who sent you?"

"We sent ourselves." Jubilee answered, bouncing Shogo when he began to fuss. "You're a telepath, right? You know I'm telling the truth."

"I'm not the telepath. But there is a telepath watching this." The man answered. "So any lies, anything you hide, they'll be able to tell. and if you're a spy..."

"You can't hurt Shogo." Laura growled. "I won't let you."

"I'm not gonna hurt a kid. Relax." The man smiled, and was clearly attempting to soothe her. It wasn't very effective, but Jubilee made herself trust it. The man muttered questions, and they answered - her voice shaking with nerves, Laura's angry and lost. The two of them clung to each other for support. She could feel something pushing at her mind, but she tried not to fight it. They were here with good intentions. That had to come across. She was sure of it.

The questioning seemed to last hours, but eventually the man stepped away and nodded. "You can join us. The boss says I better say thanks for coming here."

"Thank you for trusting us," Jubilee answered, because she wasn't sure she could expect Laura to speak at that moment.

"It's not me, it's him. But you're okay..." The guy's eyes settled on Shogo, and he smiled. "You did well taking care of him."

"He needed someone." Jubilee answered, smiling down at him, missing the look that was on the man's face. When she glanced up though, he saw how he was staring at the two of them.

"Could I... Could I hold him?"

Cautiously, Jubilee handed over her baby, and the man briefly embraced him, before handing him back with all the tenderness in the world, the same careful touches she herself would have done. "What..."

"My name is Logan. Your friend was made from my genetic material," the man answered. "I didn't know about her. Didn't participate. But she's my child, and that means..."

"That means her child is your grandson," Jubilee filled in, glancing over to Laura. "I mean... I don't know if he is-"

"You two are my family." Laura answered, and the man nodded.

"I'll show you to your room. Then you can come and meet the rest." He led them down the corridor. Jubilee kept her arms tight around her son, her mind spinning - she knew what it meant, for Laura to claim Shogo as her son. She just wasn't sure that Laura knew, and she didn't want to upset her by asking.

Logan showed them to a room with a double bed, and a small sink in the corner. "I'll get Kurt to grab you two a cot..."

Jubilee knew she should object, suggest they had separate rooms, but Laura looked happy. Jubilee remembered that first night, how Laura had held onto her, and since then the two of them had been close. Logan left them alone, and she sat on the bed, holding Shogo.

"Other side." Laura insisted. "I need to be near the door to protect you."

Jubilee quietly moved sides, and Laura sat down beside her, reaching out and stroking a strand of hair out of Jubilee's face.

"Laura..." Jubilee began, her tongue feeling clumsy in her mouth. "You... can ask to stay somewhere else, if you want?"

"I want to be with you." Laura answered, and then she leaned forwards and kissed her. It wasn't a gentle kiss, or particularly skilled - it was a tangle of emotions surging forwards. But Jubilee placed a hand on Laura's shoulder, trying to show her how to kiss gently, and Laura smiled against her lips. After a moment she pulled back.

"Laura, you kissed me."

"It was deliberate," Laura pointed out. Jubilee hesitated.

"Why?" It wasn't that she hadn't enjoyed kissing Laura. Far from it. She had enjoyed kissing Laura very much. But she didn't want to take advantage of her or confuse her. She needed this to be something Laura wanted, rather than thought was necessary.

"Because you're pretty?" Laura smiled at her, and there was a knowing element to it. "You're pretty, and you are cute to kiss. And I like you. Like spending time with you, and I want..." She raised her hand, brushing a finger against Jubilee's lips. "I want to kiss you. And if Logan thinks Shogo is our child... I can try and help. I like him, but I'm not... you can deal with his diapers." She screwed her face up. "But I want... I want this. I came here - not to help the X-Men. That was your dream, not mine. I came here to help you."

Jubilee leaned in for another careful kiss, and she could feel Laura smiling against her lips.

They pulled away as the air cracked and the blue man stepped forwards, holding a cot. "For my littlest fan."

"Thank you," Jubilee murmured. "I wasn't sure I'd ever find this place."

"You have. And you are safe here." The man held his hand out and she shook it awkwardly. "I am Kurt. Logan you have met. You'll meet the rest of us in time. We want your help, but we also want you to be safe. We are well placed to withstand any attack the humans bring."

It felt like a dream come true. The thought of having a fresh start, a home, being able to live without constantly glancing over her shoulder... Jubilee fought back tears, and smiled, leaning against Laura. Laura cuddled her close.

"Food will be soon. But the two of you have had a long day. You can rest, and we will fetch you for dinner."

Jubilee nodded, placing her son in the crib, and then lying down on the bed. Only now did she register how very exhausted she was, how the journey to this place had sapped her energy. She closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths, and felt Laura slip in beside her.

It was easy to twist towards the warmth of Laura's body, and lean up for another kiss. Jubilee had always managed to hang on to hope, but at times it had felt distant, like someone else's dream. Now though, with Laura's body tucked against her own - hope felt real. They were safe, and they were together. There was more fighting on the horizon, monsters to face, and the humans would still hate them.

But for now, Laura's lips were sweet as she smiled, and that was enough.

**Author's Note:**

> If you've enjoyed this please do comment, it means so much! Thank you. And thank you again to the amazing feignedsobriquet for some incredible art.


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